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National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health

The National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health, held Feb. 17-19, 2014 in Omaha, Neb., brought together 300 agricultural leaders and innovators to explore how we can make American agriculture more sustainable through improved soil health. Attendees represented agricultural industry, the farm community, academia, government, commodity and conservation organizations.

As part of this landmark event, Cover Crops and Soil Health Forums took place Feb. 18 at over 200 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Extension offices nationwide. These forums gave farmers and other agricultural professionals the opportunity to send their thoughts to the national conference and engage in local conversations on cover crops and soil health. Forums were attended by an estimated 6,000 people.

Conference organizers are developing a report on recommendations to increase cover crop adoption based on discussions at the conference and local forums. To see it when it becomes available, keep an eye on these pages, join SARE's mailing list or follow us on social media.

During the winter of 2012-13, NCR-SARE and the Conservation Technology Information Center carried out a survey of more than 750 farmers who have grown cover crops. Farmers who completed the survey used cover crops on about 218,000 acres in 2012, and expected to increase that to over 300,000 acres in 2013. Read more about it.

Dig Deeper: Cover Crops

Cover crops are one of the most effective ways to improve soil health, reduce off-farm inputs and protect natural resources. SARE has funded hundreds of research and education projects related to cover crops since 1988. Visit our Cover Crops topic room to see some of SARE's portfolio of cover crop research.

To discover more, visit SARE's database of projects and conduct full text or advanced keyword searches.

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This website is maintained by Southern region SARE and supported by SARE Outreach for the SARE program, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity employer. The Southern region SARE program is hosted by University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Oklahoma.

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